The invention is an aqueous solution for suspending and storing cells, especially erythrocytes, and containing sodium chloride, glucose or fructose, adenine, and a sugar alcohol.
Packed red blood cells are obtained in the field of blood-component therapy from whole blood containing anticoagulent from which plasma has been removed. Packed red blood cells are presently being applied in a wide range of therapeutic applications, the indication being anemia or red blood cell deficiency. Since some of the anticoagulant constituents are also removed when the plasma is separated, attempts have been made to increase the concentration of these constituents in order to maintain the storage time of the packed red blood cells as long as that of whole blood. It is also known that a subsequent addition of a suspending solution to packed red blood cells will dilute them, lowering the viscosity to a desirable level and facilitating the transfusion of the solution. Such an addition also allows specific substances necessary for the storageability of the packed red blood cells to be added to increase their rate of survival in vitro and in vivo.
Various solutions are appropriate for suspending and storing cells, especially erythrocytes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,267,269 for example discloses a solution that contains, in addition to sodium chloride, glucose or fructose, and adenine, the sugar alcohol mannitol.
Although the addition of suspending solutions to packed red blood cells does prolong storage time and hence increase the survival rate of the erythrocytes, the improvement, and especially the rate of hemolysis, the speed at which hemolysis occurs, is still not completely satisfactory.